1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a billiard accessory and in particular to a device capable of five functions relating to score keeping, cue stick tip conditioning and talc dispensing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Billiards and related games played with a cue stick have been around for a long time. Accordingly, many devices have been invented that are intended to complement the game itself or equipment associated therewith.
Currier, U.S. Pat. No. 561,659, describes a billiard chalk holder comprising a receptacle which holds a cue chalk. The receptacle has a circular mouth for the reception of the end of the cue, and is provided with a felt, or equivalent wiper which removes excess chalk adhering to the side of the cue. The chalk holder also includes a second threaded body portion attached to the chalk holding portion for holding a piece of sandpaper for working the tip of the cue stick.
Dahl, U.S. Pat. No. 965,444, shows a portable chalk holder allowing access to the chalk at one end, the other end holding a roughening element for roughening the tips of billiard cues.
Freedman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,828 describes a cue tip trimmer including a cylindrical recess and a concave recess formed directly behind the cylindrical recess, both recesses having abrading surfaces for grinding off cue tip material in excess of the ferrule diameter and roughening the tip.
Bushberger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,237, shows a generally cylindrical device that has a chalk holder at one end, and a talc dispenser at the other end. The chalk holder has a motor driven oscillating mechanism for applying chalk to the cue tip. The talc dispenser has a storage compartment with a rotatable cover.
Gossman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,122, describes a tool having a multiplicity of elements for treating a cue stick tip. The device includes one or more abrasive portions that can be used to shape or scuff the leather cue tip surface, a tooth member for perforating the leather tip to engage it to retain chalk, a rounded elongated groove or channel having one portion of the abrasive material with the remainder of the channel smooth for sculpting or scuffing the sides of the pool tip, and a burnishing member that can be rotated around the sides of a leather pool cue tip to burnish the sides.
None of the patents describe a device that incorporates all of the features mentioned in each of the patents, nor is there any mention of a device having the capability of tallying a score.
The inventor has thus recognized a need for a pocketable, billiard accessory that provides the basic tip conditioning functions of scraping, shaping and chalking the tip of a cue stick, having the capability to hold and dispense talc for easier sliding of the cue, and capable of tracking the scores of the players.